Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Whom it may concern,

I am writing this letter to request for a late course drop on courses that were taken in fall 2023. I will explain my past circumstance in the paragaphs below and would truly appreciate if they could be considered as legitimate reasons for the late course drop.

After finishing the mandatory military service in South Korea, I returned to Queen's for the first time since 2020. I returned to Canada with high hopes and expectations, especially seeking for better academic results. However, my enthusiasm got ahead of me while I wasn't mentally and acadmeically prepared, and my expectations soon turned into a nightmare. I soon suffered with extreme mental depression, nostalgia and panic disorder. I was scared of attending classes due to the fear that other students were looking at me strangely, and living in Kingston without any family or friends eventually resulted in severe depression within me. In addition, tough times including when I suffered from severe sickness for two weeks in October continued. As a result, at some point, I let go of everything including academics and relationships, consumed by depressive and pessimistic thoughts.

In late November, I desperately wanted to change everything, so I visited the school wellness center. I received treatments and advices, which seemed to be helpful at the moment. However, depression and pessimistic thoughts did not disappear overnight and in the end, I finished the semester without even having the courage to finish the overwhelming backlog of assignments and exams.

Due to the reasons mentioned above, I had to finish the semester without properly being evaluated, not because I submitted assignments or exams and received low grades. Therefore, if given the opportunity, I would like to drop last year's courses and show improved academic performance moving forward. Thank you for reading my lengthy letter.

Sincerely,
Hyun-Soo